Pipette tips are utilized in a variety of industries that have a requirement for handling fluids, and are used in facilities including medical laboratories and research laboratories, for example. In many instances pipette tips are used in large numbers, and often are utilized for processing many samples and/or adding many reagents to samples, for example.
Pipette tips often are substantially cone-shaped with an aperture at one end that can engage a dispensing device, and another relatively smaller aperture at the other end that can receive and emit fluid. Pipette tips generally are manufactured from a moldable plastic, such as polypropylene, for example. Pipette tips are made in a number of sizes to allow for accurate and reproducible liquid handling for volumes ranging from nanoliters to milliliters.
Pipette tips can be utilized in conjunction with a variety of dispensing devices, including manual dispensers (e.g., pipettors) and automated dispensers (e.g., automated liquid handling devices & systems, e.g., liquid dispensing robotic machines). A dispenser is a device that, when attached to the upper end of a pipette tip (the larger opening end), applies negative pressure to acquire fluids, and applies positive pressure to dispense fluids. The combination then can be used to manipulate liquid samples. The upper end of a pipette tip is attached to the lower or distal portion of a dispenser (typically referred to as the barrel or nozzle) when the distal portion of the dispenser is placed in contact with the upper end of the pipette tip and a downward compressive pressure is applied.
Pipette tips often are shipped, stored and presented to a user or dispenser in a rack. A rack often includes a tray, a base and a lid. The tray, or plate, generally includes bores through which pipette tips are inserted partially. A lid sometimes is attached to a rack by a hinge, and a user generally swings the lid open to access pipette tips in the rack for use.